Mile High Mailbag: Ja'Quan McMillian Trade Buzz Ahead of Draft

The 2026 NFL draft is almost here. The Denver Broncos will hold their official pre-draft press conference on Thursday, and one week later, it's go time.

The Broncos currently have seven selections in this draft, after giving up their first and third-round picks to Miami for wide receiver Jaylen Waddle. There are rumors that Denver could be looking to make another big move during the draft, either a trade-up or a draft-day trade.

So, there's a chance the Broncos won't make seven selections. In fact, considering GM George Paton's propensity for moving around on draft day, the odds are, the haul will look very differently than how it currently appears on paper.

The Broncos may still end up making seven selections, but they could be outside of their current slate of picks: 62, 108, 111, 170, 246, 256, and 257.

I do a version of the Mile High Mailbag every night that I leave stream on the Mile High Huddle Podcast, but it's been a while since I put out a call for a written version. I get questions daily on social media, so it's time for another edition of the Mile High Mailbag, a tradition I started way back in 2013.

Let's see what's on Broncos Country's mind, and what answers I can provide nine days before the draft.

Michela Parker (@micp123 on X): Is it true what I've heard on 104.3 The FAN that Denver could trade cornerback Ja'Quan McMillian for a second-round pick? I don't think that would be enough.

Could it happen? Anything is possible. Will it happen? Let's examine.

Trading McMillian would be a foolish thing to do, even for a second-round pick. If the Broncos were to, say, use this year's second-rounder (No. 62 overall) on a cornerback, they could only hope and pray that he would develop into half the player that McMillian already is.

McMillian went undrafted in 2022, signed with the Broncos, and by 2023, he was a mainstay on defense as the nickel corner. He's tough, scrappy, physical, and he has a true nose for the ball.

Considering how badly the Broncos struggled to take the ball away last year, I can't imagine they'd jettison their top ballhawk. McMillian co-led the Broncos with two interceptions last year, plus he had two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery. It wasn't exactly a first-time occurrence.

In the playoffs, McMillian's overtime interception helped the Broncos avoid disaster, and set Bo Nix and company up for the final field-goal drive that defeated the Buffalo Bills in the divisional round. We can talk about McMillian's coverage ability, toughness, and ball skills, but he also has the clutch gene.

However, the Broncos may want to create a path to playing time for 2025 first-rounder Jahdae Barron, who can play the nickel or on the boundary. If the team is committed to creating the space for Barron to start on defense, either McMillian or Riley Moss will have to be traded.

I'd be stunned if it were McMillian, though, especially after the Broncos tendered him at the second-round level in March, which guarantees him $5.8 million in 2026. His future is still undecided (beyond 2026), but from what I'm hearing, the Broncos plan to give him the opportunity this year to earn a multi-year extension.

Ed Helinski (@MrEd315 on X): What team areas should the Broncos be focusing on to get younger and cheaper while fulfilling needs?

Bo Nix and Garett Bolles — Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix (10) and offensive tackle Garett Bolles (72) celebrate after winning an AFC Divisional Round playoff game against the Buffalo Bills at Empower Field at Mile High. | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

The Broncos have one of the most expensive offensive lines in football. But that's for a reason.

The Broncos have made a conscious decision under Sean Payton to invest in the offensive line, and it has paid dividends. Only one NFL quarterback has been sacked fewer times over the past two seasons than Nix, and before J.K. Dobbins suffered a Week 10 injury, the Broncos fielded a top-10 rushing offense.

However, Paton himself has expressed his anxieties over the Broncos' top two offensive tackles aging at the same time. Both Garett Bolles and Mike McGlinchey are on the wrong side of 30, and while Frank Crum may eventually reach the lofty potential the Broncos see in him, he's still extremely raw, untested, and thus, unreliable as a full-time pass blocker.

In other words, the Broncos need to focus on getting younger at offensive tackle, and if they succeed, it could save them some big money on the salary cap. Bolles and McGlinchey are both locks for 2026, but they'll account for $32.2 million in salary-cap space this season. Denver needs an alternative contingency plan for 2027, just in case.

The Broncos would also be wise to begin investing in youth at linebacker. Justin Strnad and Alex Singleton were re-signed this offseason, but they'll both be north of 30 years old by the time the games begin.

The Broncos have Drew Sanders entering a contract year, but he's completely unproven since arriving as a third-round pick in 2023 because the injury bug has wiped out each of his past two seasons. There's a chance he stays healthy this summer and takes a big step forward, but the Broncos aren't expecting it to happen, nor should they.

Beyond Sanders, the Broncos have three young linebackers, true, but Karene Reid, Levelle Bailey, and Jordan Turner are recent college free-agent signings, and none of them have shown they're ready for an increased role on defense. The Broncos need to get younger at linebacker, and in so doing, one or two years from now, they'll get cheaper, too — and just in time for Nix's mega-extension.

Let's just saw there are reasons that Denver is planning on giving Jonah Elliss reps at inside linebacker this summer. And it's not an ideal solution.

DeAnna Hendry (@HendryDeAnna on X): In the draft, do you think Texas Tech linebacker Jacob Rodriquez will be available, and do you think the Broncos will draft him?

Texas Tech Red Raiders linebacker Jacob Rodriguez (10) gets into position. | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

There's a solid chance Rodriguez will be there at No. 62. Most draftniks see him going somewhere between picks 51 and 73. That could put him right there for Denver...

...but I doubt it.

Rodriguez is one of those prospects who I see NFL teams valuing more internally than the public big boards and mock drafts do. It might not seem like a big difference, but I could see him going in the first 15 picks of Round 2. The Broncos' selection is the third-to-last in Round 2.

Rodriguez is a do-it-all linebacker, and he brings some intriguing ball production to the table. Targeting him on Day 2, or another linebacker, like Cincinnati's Jake Golday, would be a big step forward in getting young and cheaper at the position, as Ed queried.

Bottom line, if he's there, I could see the Broncos drafting Rodriguez. Alas, I just don't think he will be.

Another thing going against the possibility of Rodriguez landing in Denver is the reality that the Broncos don't typically value linebackers with their premium draft picks. I'm not talking about outside linebackers, who are viewed as edge defenders; I'm talking about the guys who play off the ball.

The last time the Broncos drafted a linebacker higher than Round 3 was when they selected D.J. Williams in Round 1 back in 2004. The highest the Broncos have gone at linebacker since then was Nate Irving (2011) and the aforementioned Sanders (2023), both in Round 3.

There are reasons for that, not the least of which is that quality NFL linebackers can be found later in the draft. Former Broncos starter Josey Jewell was a fourth-round pick, for example; Strnad was a fifth-rounder. Going back further, the Broncos found Danny Trevathan — a Super Bowl 50 hero — in Round 6.

I love where your mind's at, DeAnna, because Rodriguez is a fine player and I'd love his fit for the Broncos. There are just too many factors going against it for me to say he'll be there at No. 62.

If I'm wrong and Rodriguez is there at No. 62, the Broncos would be hard-pressed to find a better player available, no doubt. Fans could only hope the team doesn't overthink it if he's there.

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